Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Intel, Micron Sample 50 Nano NAND Flash

Boise, Idaho-based Micron and Intel said today that they are sampling the industry's first NAND flash memory based on 50 nanometer process technology. The companies said that IM Flash Technologies, a joint development and manufacturing venture from the two companies, is manufacturing the 4 gigabit NAND flash devices now. The firms said they plan to mass produce devices in 2007. NAND is among the fastest growing segments of the memory market, as electronics equipment manufacturers increasingly are turning to NAND Flash memory for storage in digital music players, removable storage, and handheld communications devices. Micron's NAND Flash facility is based in Lehi, Utah, where it expects to be producing NAND early next year. Micron's primary rival, Samsung Electronics, recently announced 8-Gbit NAND flash memory on 60-nm technology last week.